At the CafeKafede

Zeynep orders a Turkish coffee at a cafe. She tells the waiter how sweet she wants it, asks for water and pays by card.

Speakers: Garson (the waiter), Zeynep (a customer)

The Dialogue

Read each Turkish line aloud, then check the English. Hide the translation to test yourself.

Garson
Hoş geldiniz! Ne alırsınız?
Welcome! What would you like?
Zeynep
Merhaba. Bir Türk kahvesi alayım, lütfen.
Hello. I'll have a Turkish coffee, please.
Garson
Nasıl olsun? Sade mi, orta mı, şekerli mi?
How would you like it? No sugar, medium or sweet?
Zeynep
Orta olsun. Bir de su alayım.
Medium, please. And I'll have some water too.
Garson
Tamam. Başka bir şey?
Okay. Anything else?
Zeynep
Hayır, teşekkürler.
No, thank you.
Garson
Buyurun, kahveniz ve suyunuz. Afiyet olsun!
Here you are, your coffee and your water. Enjoy!
Zeynep
Teşekkür ederim. Hesap ne kadar?
Thank you. How much is the bill?
Garson
Toplam yüz elli lira.
That's 150 lira in total.
Zeynep
Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?
Can I pay by card?
Garson
Tabii, buyurun. Teşekkürler, iyi günler!
Of course, here you go. Thank you, have a nice day!
Zeynep
Size de iyi günler!
You too!

Turkish	English
Ne alırsınız?	What would you like? (lit. What will you take?)
alayım	I'll have… (lit. let me take)
Türk kahvesi	Turkish coffee
sade / orta / şekerli	no sugar / medium-sweet / sweet
suyunuz	your water (su → suyu)
Afiyet olsun!	Enjoy! (said when food or drink is served)
hesap	the bill, the check
ne kadar	how much
toplam	total, in total
kartla ödemek	to pay by card

Grammar
Ordering with -(y)AyIm
Alayım comes from almak (to take) plus the 'let me' ending -(y)ayım/-(y)eyim. It is the most natural way to order in Turkish: Bir çay alayım, Su alayım. It sounds softer than istiyorum (I want).
Culture
Sugar goes in before brewing
Turkish coffee is boiled with the sugar already in the pot, so the waiter asks how sweet you want it before making it: sade (no sugar), orta (medium) or şekerli (sweet). It usually comes with a glass of water.
Grammar
Either-or questions with mi
In Sade mi, orta mı, şekerli mi? the question particle follows each option and changes its vowel by vowel harmony (mi, mı, mu, mü). It is always written as a separate word.

1. Zeynep ne içiyor?
What is Zeynep drinking?
Show answer
Bir Türk kahvesi ve su içiyor.
A Turkish coffee and some water.
2. Zeynep kahvesini nasıl istiyor?
How does Zeynep want her coffee?
Show answer
Orta şekerli istiyor.
Medium-sweet.
3. Hesap ne kadar?
How much is the bill?
Show answer
Toplam yüz elli lira.
150 lira in total.